Jacob e



(No Model.)

J. R. HBSSLER.

CABINETv DRGAN SOCKET BOARD. N0. 369,938. Patented Sept. 13, A1837vwmiiiimmi.

nois, haveinvented a new and useful Improve- UNITED STATI-3s PATENTOFFICE.

JACOB It. IIESSLER, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WV. V. KIMBALLCOMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SOCKET-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,938, datedSeptember 13, 1887.

Application filed May 31, 1887. Serial No. 239,766. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JACOB R. HEssLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illiment inCabinetOrgan Socket-Boards, of which the following is a specification.

The horizontal reed-cells of cabinet-organs as now generally constructedare cut or hollowed out from the under side of what are known as thesocket-boards. They are short rectangular openings, ranging in lengthfrom five-eighths of an inch to about four inches, and are nearly squarein vertical crosssection. The vertical sides of the cells are straightand parallel surfaces, and the same is true of the upper and lowersides. As thus constructed, the organs now manufactured are verysuperior instruments, and although efforts have been made in variousways to render them more sonorous-one such effort consisting in archingthe roof of the cells longitudinally, the apex of the arch being aboutmidway of the length-such efforts have, so far as my knowledge extends,been universally abandoned in favor of the straight uniform cells. It isto the latter that my invention relates, and I have discovered aconstruction of socket-board which, while it need not increase the costof manufacture, greatly augments the power of the tone without otherwisechanging it in any respect; and it consists in a socket-board thehorizontal reedcells whereof differ from the straight uniform cellsdescribed in that the roofs are inclined upward from the inner end tothe mouth, thus not only giving additional freedom of egress to thesound-waves, but also causing the top of the cell to act as a reflectorof sound. In this change I preferably lower the roof at the inner end ofthe cell from the common construction and elevate it at the mouth, andthus am able to obtain the benefits of the invention without increasingthe thickness ofthe socket-board, care being taken that the roof loe notso low as to interfere with the vibration of the tongue of the reed. Noharm will be done, however, by adding to the thickness of the board, asthat permits an increase of the angle of the incline of the cell-roof. Iestimate that the power of the instrument is nearly doubled by myinvention, so that a small instrument can be made effective where alarge'one has heretofore been required.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a transverse vertical sectionof my invention, and in such drawing A represents the socketboard, B thesounding-board, and C the reed.

D is one of the reed-cells and a type of all of them, a being the side,b the bottom, 0 the inner end, and d the mouth thereof. The top or roofe is a straight plane surface without openings therethrough to giveegress to the sound or obstructions of any kind to detract from itspower, and inclines upwardly and outwardly from the inner end, asplainly illustrated, while in other respects the cell is like the commonconstruction. The angle of incline is a matter of discretion, and thebenefits of my invention may be obtained without increasing the heightof the socket-board beyond the ordinary thickness by lowering the innerand elevating the outer ends of the roof. 'Ihe inner end may be loweredto any extent permitted without interfering with the vibrations of thereed-tonguef, theupper extent of which vibration may be indicated by thedotted line. The incline extends clear to the open end of the cell, sothat the sound is not interfered with or confined in any way.

I am well aware, of course, that it is common to provide horns and otherwind-instru` ments with flaring rims at the mouths for the purpose ofincreasing the tone effect; but I am not aware that a reed-cell or othershort analogous chamber has been provided with an inclined top extendingfrom the inner to the outer end without openings through which thesound-waves will be diverted, or obstruc- 9o tions at the mouth wherebythe character of the tone will be changed and some portion of the powerlost. The dotted line extending along the top of the cell shows the roofas it has heretofore been customarily made.

I claim----n The socket-board the reed-oeils whereof are i free Vfromobstructions to hinder the Sound or horizontal, Contain but. :L singlereed each, are l affect its ehamotex, substaubialy as set forth. uniformin shape, und are provided with roos uolning eontsiuuouslyn an upwarddirection 5 from the inner end to the extreme mouth or outer end, Saidroofs having no openings therethrough, and the mouths being WhollyJ'AJGB R. HESSLEB.

"Witnesses:

EDN S. EVARTS, LEWIS E. CURTIS.

